Secrets of the Prince
by TeeLee123
Summary: During Goku's 1 day on Earth, before he can fight in the tournament, Brolly and other surviving Saiyans invade the planet. Goku perishes in the battle. Gohan goes into hiding along with other survivors. Vegeta & Tarble raise Trunks as their brother in order to protect him from Brolly. In the war of Saiyan vs Hybrid, what will happen when the secret of Trunks' heritage is out?
1. - - A snake in the Desert - -

The black stallions galloped across the desert in pursuit of the human dressed in a white_ shalwar kameez _and _turban,_ but the human proved to run at a speed greater than any horse, keeping his unfaltering pace a good yard ahead of them.

"He runs fast for a human," Tarble remarked, his flaming black hair blowing back in the wind. If it weren't for his short height, he could almost pass as Prince Vegeta's twin, minus the fierce scowl and blood thirsty attitude.

Trunks smirked. His thin, black, bowl-cut hair was also being pushed back in the wind. If anyone looked more ominously like Prince Vegeta, it was Prince Trunks. His eyes were narrow, with thick eyebrows and bright blue eyes. Eyes of a killer, most Saiyans would praise, to which Tarble would raise his chin in pride, but never Vegeta. Always, Trunks couldn't help but wonder why Vegeta would become pained, almost hostile, whenever he looked into his blue eyes.

" He isn't a human."

Tarble gave the young prince a quizzical look. _Not human? But there's no way he could be apart of the Saiyan Clan, he's obviously wearing the drab uniform of the Slaves. . ._

"He's a Hybrid!" Tarble shouted. " You know what this means, don't you?"

Trunks smirked. His heart began to race, becoming one with his stallion's galloping hooves. His calves pressed tightly into the horse and he leaned closer to the horse's mane. " Yeah, this means I finally get a worthy fight- - yah! Faster Blaze!"

Blaze's nostrils flared as he pushed himself harder, sensing the urgent need in Trunks to catch up to the two-legged Hybrid that easily outran him. Blaze was the perfect horse for the Prince, for he had an ego to match. There wasn't a horse in the entire kingdom that could outrun Blaze, including Tarble's horse, Coal, the younger brother to Blaze. For the sake of his honor, status of nobility, and pride in himself as a horse, Blaze ran faster than he ever had before. If surpassing the Hybrid is what his master wanted of him, then he would do it! Even if it could possibly kill him in the process.

Tarble groaned, shouting after Trunks as he passed ahead." No, this means you'll finally have your first kill! Are you listening to me? This is not a sparring match, I repeat, this is NOT a sparring match! And I'm talking to nobody."

Coal nodded his head lightly, his horse way of agreeing with his idiotic master.

The Hybrid was having a hard time keeping up the pace. Running in the sand is a difficult feat, one he hadn't much practice with having grown up in a forest surrounded with grass and bamboo. The horse's hooves vibrated through the sand. No way, I can't believe that horse is catching up to me! The Hybrid bit his lower lip, contemplating a solution to help boost his speed. He smiled widely, _I got it!_

"Remind me to feed you an apple when we get back," Trunks grinned, patting Blaze lightly to let him know he was doing a good job. They were close now, Blaze was head to head with the Hybrid, hell-bent on surpassing him no matter what.

Tarble, still lagging behind, smiled when he saw Trunks wrap his hand around the hilt of the sword on his back. Tarble remembered when he had first held the shagreen grip of the sword, which was all he could hold, since the blade weighed so much he couldn't even lift most of it off the ground! It provided a good laugh for the rest of the Saiyan Clan, until every male and female tried lifting the sword, and failed miserably.

Vegeta, seizing the chance to exploit his strength, picked up the sword and slashed through the air with ease, slightly smirking the entire time before handing it over to Trunks. It was the closest thing Vegeta had ever come to smiling, it was a rare sight and a memory he and Trunks held dearly.

_That Hybrid is as good as dead. Eh, it's just as well, I need to get back to my wife anyway. The sooner Trunks slays the Hybrid the better, the clan will be so proud! Little Trunks is growing up!_ Tarble began to tear slightly at the thought.

The Hybrid unwrapped the turban from around his head, along with the white scarf draped around his neck a Slave had given to him when he'd shown up dressed in his orange gi. Unlike the Saiyan Clan, whom would've annihilated him on sight, the Slaves- - humans- - welcomed him with open arms. They had passed him around in the city, keeping him safe, disguising him and sharing what food they had, knowing he'd one day bring back the freedom stolen from them thirteen years ago.

"Aw, I wanted to keep these as mementos, but if they can save my life, I guess it's okay."

Without giving it another thought, the Hybrid glanced back at Prince Trunks and threw the two items behind him. He cursed when the wind caught the fabric of the scarf and turban, sending it into Prince Tarble's face instead. Momentarily blinding that dim-witted Tarble did nothing for him, the bringer of death was at his heels, and he'd messed up his one chance of earning a treasured few seconds to escape. _I'm done for!_

Instead of unsheathing his sword and gliding it swiftly across the base of the Hybrid's neck, Trunks hesitated. It was brief, but Trunks had caught a glimpse of the Hybrid's face. His memory was cast back thirteen years ago, when he was just a child.

_"Trunks are you sure we should be doing this?" The boy whined, tilting his head to the side and pleading with his dark eyes like a puppy. Trunks couldn't help but smile at the innocent boy, whom wore a gi like his, except his was orange instead of green. Who made his gi? Trunks couldn't remember. He did know that they were equals. They were best friends that napped together, sparred together, and got into trouble together._

_Yeah, trouble was their middle names when they were together._

_Trunks nodded, looking mischievously up at the pie cooling on the window sill. The innocent boy sighed, lowering himself to his hands and knees, whining slightly when Trunks hopped on his back. "Hurry. She's probably done picking up the vase I broke by now."_

_"Stop moving." Trunks snapped back, irritated with the boy's anxiety more than his trembling body. If anyone made him think twice before doing something bad, it was the boy he was using as a stool. Thinking twice wasn't the same as doing the right thing, but who cared? So what if they hogged the pie for themselves before dinner time? Who could stop them? Ha, nobody. Together, they were invincible; a clever team nobody could outsmart._

_"Hot! Hot!" Trunks hissed. His fingers juggled the hot aluminum pan of the pie before accidentally letting it slip upside down on the innocent boy's head, smoldering his thick black hair with huckleberry._

_"Where's my pie?" A woman asked from the window sill._

_Trunks didn't linger to look up at the woman's face, but in his memory he imagined a fire-breathing dragon lady, with sharp teeth and blazing eyes. She was a human, but in their eyes, she was the strongest, and most scariest thing that ever lived. The legendary Son Goku had feared Chichi when he was alive, according to the stories he was told._

_"RUN!" Trunks screamed, leaping from the innocent boy's back and running full-speed into the forest. He paused at the edge of the yard, glancing back at his friend whom he refused to leave behind._

_Once they were safe and far away from the house, they cheered and laughed triumphantly together since Chichi was unable to catch them. They sat with their legs dangling over the thick tree limb above a tall cliff, with a narrow creek flowing beneath them. At least they thought it was a creek, they were so high up they didn't know it was the gigantic river, which would later be known to the clans as Blood Falls, a river that ran swifter than any other, the most dangerous beauty mother nature had to offer. Even if one was to survive the brutal undertow, whirlpools, and the sharp rocks that could cut into your skin like knives. . . it was nearly impossible to unlatch the gigantic leeches that quickly drained a person's every last ounce of blood._

_Of course back then, Kami-Sama hadn't taken away their ability to fly, so they weren't worried about falling into the vicious water below them._

_Trunks glided his finger into the black mess of the boy's hair, coating his finger with a thick amount of huckleberry before suckling it from his finger, pretending it was the best huckleberry he'd ever tasted, just to feel the satisfaction of seeing the innocent boy's smile curl into a frown._

_"I want some." He begged. Trunks continued to taunt him._

_The boy pursed his lips, and was on the verge of crying until Trunks dabbed his finger into the huckleberry and stuck his finger in front of the boy's face. The boy's eyes lit up with glee as he chomped down on Trunks' coarse skin, polishing every last trace of the huckleberry from his nimble finger._

_Trunks turned away from the boy's wide smile. It was just huckleberry, but the boy acted as though Trunks had given him gold. In return, the boy gave him something no one else would in the unknown years to come, a warm smile, one Trunks made sure to burn into his retinas and memory forever._

Tarble frowned as Trunks removed his hand from the sword.

Blaze was half an inch ahead of the Hybrid now. Trunks glided most of his boots out from the stirrups, lifted his rear from the saddle, and once he was sure he wouldn't miss- - jumped from the horse and into the Hybrid.

* * *

**Teelee Mini Dictionary:**

Shalwar Kameez- ( for a man)is a traditional dress worn by both women and men in **South Asia** and specially Pakistan and India. _Shalwar_ or _salwar_ are loose pajama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the ankle. The _kameez_ is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams (known as the _chaak_), left open below the waist-line, give the wearer greater freedom of movement[ Kay so I stole this definition from Wikipedia].

Turban-  The funny hat Piccolo likes to wear!


	2. A snake in the Desert pg2

Tarble pulled on the reins of his horse, squealing like a girl as he watched Trunks and the Hybrid roll down the hill, limbs entangled together forming something similar to a tumbleweed.

Trunks held on tightly to the Hybrid as their bodies crashed into the sand an infinite amount of times to where none of them could tell which direction the sky was anymore. It all became a blur of motion. The Hybrid held on tightly to Trunks, too. This was the closest thing to a hug he could give his childhood friend.

Both of them wished things could be different, but Trunks was a Saiyan Prince, follower and enforcer to Brolly's rule. They believed in enslaving the human race, demolishing any Saiyan who had "tainted" blood, and sating the insatiable need to kill, mercilessly killing and conquering other planets for their own, only to blow it up to nothingness.

It was the sole purpose of the Hybrids to put an end to the barbaric Saiyans that refused to coexist in peace. Prince Trunks was at the top of that list, next to Vegeta, Paragus, and Brolly.

Coming to a halt at the bottom of the hill, Trunks slowly rolled off the Hybrid, whom was desperately panting for air, his lungs burned from running so hard. Had it been anyone else besides Trunks, he would've stayed and fought instead of running like a coward. _I guess this fight is unavoidable._

Trunks layed on his back, panting for air too. Had it been any other Hybrid, he would've killed him when he had the chance. Letting the Hybrid catch his breath was a mercy Trunks never thought he'd give, but here he was, courteously waiting for his childhood friend to regain composure so they could have a fair fight to the death. Trunks had a feeling Lord Brolly and the Saiyan Clan would sneer if they saw him giving such a mercy. Mercy was for the weak, and the young Prince of Saiyans would be killed on the spot if anyone suspected he was weak.

Sensing the Hybrid move, Trunks tilted his head to the side, meeting with the dark eyes of the boy( now a man) he hadn't seen in years. They stared silently at each other. Trunks didn't notice the Hybrid gather a palm full of sand until he threw it at his face. Trunks sealed his eyes shut, but not before a burning amount of sand got caught in his eyes. Abandoning himself to the pain, Trunks thrashed across the sandy desert, cursing himself for showing a Hybrid mercy.

His clan was right, mercy is a death sentence.

Tarble dismounted his horse and watched with horror as Trunks rolled in pain while his hands vigorously rubbed at his closed eyes. _I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead! Vegeta is going to kill me if anything happens to him! Gah, why did they entrust me to be his mentor? Why! Anyone with sense would know not to entrust me. . ._

The Hybrid watched as Tarble pulled at his spiked hair, lost in thought and ignoring the obvious threat the Hybrid posed.

The Hybrid apologized profusely as he leaned down and placed his hand on Trunks' shoulder, to keep him still as he poured water from the gourd he carried with him. Once the burning subsided and most of the sand was out of his eyes, Trunks glared at the Hybrid." I never thought I'd see the day when you fought dirty." He smirked before sarcastically adding." Long time no see. . . Goten."

Goten returned the smirk." Sorry, from what I remembered, it was you who always cheated and fought dirty. I thought I'd beat you to the punch."

"I see you're still stupid. Hasn't anyone taught you not to help your enemy?"

Goten sighed." As arrogant as always." He smiled widely, reminding Trunks of how badly he missed that pure smile of his." Same old Trunks. By the way, you're welcome."

Trunks growled, letting Tarble help him to his feet." I'm Prince Trunks now." He paused, stepping free from the doting Tarble, whom was inspecting him for other wounds." No offense, but I have to kill you."

Goten's smile vanished and he stared vacantly into Trunks' blue eyes. Trunks hoped Goten couldn't see his true feelings. He didn't want to kill his childhood friend, but that's just the way things were now. As a Prince, duty came before everything, and he had a duty to keep his clan safe from the Hybrids that wanted to kill them. Their friendship was an unnatural friendship that sometimes occurred in nature, like a wolf befriending a fawn or a snake befriending a mouse, and like those friendships, theirs had to end.

Goten nodded, for a second he foolishly hoped his old friend had suddenly changed, and maybe he could've spared his life and swayed him to his side, the 'Hybrid ' side. He glowered at Trunks, allowing himself to remember the reason why he was hiding in the kingdom in the first place. He raised his fists and charged at Trunks," I'm going to kill you and rescue my sister!"

Trunks snorted, allowing himself to be brainwashed by the lies he was told by the clan for as long as he could remember: _Hybrids are dirt. They're nothing. They're weak and deserve to die. Full blooded Saiyans are above them in every way._

Grabbing on all the hatred they could muster, Trunks and Goten exchanged blows, both knowing that only one of them would leave the fight alive.

* * *

**Teelee Mini Dictionary:**

Hybrid: Goten is a Hybrid. A person of Saiyan and Human heritage. To the Saiyans, anyone part Saiyan is a Hybrid. Hybrids are frowned upon, seen as an abomination . Babies born as Hybrids and Saiyans who bred with a Slave or Hybrid are instantly put to death. Hybrids live on the other side of the river of Blood Falls. Their village & who runs it is unkown at this point to you the readers, but the Saiyans also don't know the location of this village. Hybrids have tails, but choose to cut them off, distinguishing themselves from Saiyans.

Slaves: The humans of Earth. The small few that were spared their lives are now slaves. They build, work, feed, and trade goods for/to the Saiyans( their masters). Kinda playing off the Story of Moses & mixing it with the slavery & segregation history of the U.S.

Siayan: We all know what a Saiyan is. That hasn't changed in this story. I've probably made them more brutal, less intelligent, and savage though. Saiyans are repulsed by Hybrids & Slaves. Slaves are seen as useful tools to the Saiyans, but a pet has more importance than a slave. Hybrids are the Saiyans' enemy, they're the embarrassment of the Saiyan clan . Saiyan's take great pride in their tails, to chop one off would be dihonorable.

Blood Falls: A giant waterfall that forms a huge, swift, dangerous, giant leech infested river. This river divides the clans- - Hybrids & Saiyans- - from each other. It's impossible to cross. Hmmm, how did Goten cross it then? You'll find out in later chapters.


	3. A snake in the Desert pg3

**IMPORTANT! June18,2013. This isn't a new chapter. I am merely tidying up the format & adding Teelee Mini Dictionaries at the end of the chapters to simplify things. ( = ^_^= ) I will update soon, by the end of the month or the beginning of July.**

Goten grunted as Trunks' fist collided into his cheek, but recovered quickly, delivering an uppercut to Trunks' chin in return. Trunks caught Goten's smirk as he rose eight feet into the air from the powerful blow.

He's become strong, a lot stronger than when we were children, but is he stronger than me? Trunks flipped in the air, his fingertips dug into the sand for a second before pushing off again, doing several backflips before finally landing to a stop, on his feet , a safe distance away from Goten. Trunks smiled as he massaged his bruising chin

Goten returned the smile, tenderly rubbing his cheek where Trunks had hit him.

Nobody in the Kingdom, except Vegeta, had ever managed to get a lucky hit in, ever. Most Saiyans would feel shame and disgust if a Hybrid was of equal strength on the battlefield- - but not Trunks. Despite it being a match to the death, he was enjoying his fight with Goten more than he thought he would. The need to know who was stronger burned in his blood and Trunks knew he would not be quick to kill Goten for this reason. Judging by the gleam in Goten's eyes, Trunks knew he felt the same.

"Strong punch." Trunks complimented, raising his chin slightly so Goten could see the red bruise underneath.

Goten chuckled, removing his hand to reveal his swollen cheek." Thanks, you're pretty strong yourself. Haha, I think I heard one of my molars crack."

"What are you doing ?A Saiyan Prince isn't supposed to show sportsmanship!"

Trunks and Goten turned their heads to the side to stare at the screeching Tarble.

" If Vegeta- niisan were to see this, or worse- -Lord Brolly!- - you'd be banished from the clan! And I'd be killed for not teaching you better!" Blaze and Coal began to nibble on Tarble's hair, bringing his attention away from the fight." Stop that! No that is not grass! Ah!"

Goten blinked." What was that about?"

Trunks sighed." Tarble is right. I shouldn't be sparring with you, a true Saiyan would've put an end to you a long time ago." He wiped the sweat from his forehead and into his hair, smudging off some of the black dye to reveal his natural, lighter hair color." But. . . I don't care. This is my fight, and I'll drag this out for as long as I wish."

Goten tilted his head to the side, noticing that the strands of hair closest to Trunks' eyes were now lavender instead of black. _Aha! I knew I wasn't insane! Trunks did have lavender hair when we were kids, but I wonder why he dyes it black?_

Goten shifted his gaze to the rest of Trunks' body. He was dressed in a _chang pao_, made of sheer purple and blue fabric, with wide sleeves decorated with white logos of a big "C" and little "c" inside it._ Wow, he really is a prince. Maybe that's why he dyes his hair, because of some prince rule? Pfft. He looks more like a princess, that's something I could see Mom wearing!_ Goten stopped smirking when he saw the fuzzy brown sash wrapped around Trunks' hips. He blinked twice before realising it wasn't a sash at all, it was a tail.

"Trunks, you have a tail!" Goten shouted."You told me this would happen! Remember when you warned me that if I ate too many bananas i'd grow a tail?"

Trunks raised his eyebrows,_ he can't be serious_.

Goten's expression turned solemn." What am I saying? Of course you don't remember. I'm sorry I wasn't around to warn you Trunks." He smiled sheepishly." But when you do turn into a monkey I'll keep you as a pet if you want. You can eat bananas everyday too!"

Trunks' lips curled into a smile."I'm not turning into a monkey idiot. Everyone in the Saiyan Clan has a tail, except for you half-breeds who choose to cut off you're tails since you deny the power of the Great Ape. And stop calling me Trunks. I'm Prince Trunks to you Hybrid."

"So you're not turning into a monkey?" Goten pressed.

" Only on full moons do I turn into a Great Ape, but I'd be too dangerous to keep as a pet."

"Oh." The disappointment was thick in Goten's voice.

Trunks laughed, then charged forward at Goten. Goten dodged Trunks' attack and countered with one of his own. Both of them couldn't suppress the smiles from their lips as they sparred, testing the strength of their fists against each other, not caring if one managed to break through their defense as one landed a punch or kick.

After half an hour of fighting, their happy attitudes began to turn sour as both became accustomed to each other's attacks. Both were growing stronger from the time they spent fighting together, as was the Saiyan way. Soon, each punch that was delivered was powerful, deadly, and filled with anxiety.

The stronger of the two was still unclear, but it unnerved them how easily they had fought in harmony.

"I wonder if I should help?" Tarble asked out loud as he watched Trunks fight with more ferocity then he had before. The young prince was covered in bruises, cuts, and blood. Goten wasn't faring any better, which annoyed Tarble._ He should be in worse shape than Trunks! How is it a low, dirty Hybrid can stand his own against someone with royal Saiyan blood_?

Coal snorted, nudging his long snout against Tarble's back, pushing him towards the raging fight.

Tarble dug his heels into the sand to keep himself from going further." Bad horse! That was a rhetorical question. If I stepped in now that would be rude to Prince Trunks." Tarble crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly."No, he can handle this fight without me."

Coal rolled his big almond eyes and whinnied.

Trunks and Goten punched each other in the face, and both skidded across the sand to opposite ends of the desert. They sat up at the same time, resting their chins over their right knee as they took a break to catch their breath. Neither trusted the other completely to lay down in the sand to rest like they wanted. Both had their guard up, sensing that the fight was coming close to an end. Trunks knew he didn't have the stamina to keep up the fight, soon he'd have to put an end to it and take Goten's life, but when? He constantly felt the weight of his sword and willed his hand to unsheath it multiple times, but his hand refused.

Trunks stared down at his upturned palms," Is it because I've never killed before? Is that the reason I haven't taken Goten's life yet?"

"Are you okay?" Goten shouted, already standing on his feet.

Trunks clenched his hands tightly. _Idiot. I'm his enemy. . . he shouldn't be asking if I'm okay, why can't he understand that?_

Trunks trembled as he stood, taking on the air of Vegeta by lowering his chin and glaring coldly into Goten's eyes. His right arm felt heavy as he wrapped his hand around the hilt of his sword, unsheathing it in one forced pull. He glided it through the air, marvelling at his reflection mirrored in the blade as he wrapped his left hand tightly around the grip. With the sword raised directly in front of him, Trunks closed his eyes for a second, inhaled and opened his eyes sharply. . . Goten was going to be his first kill.

Seeing the cold, bloodthristy look Trunks was giving him, Goten smiled sadly at his former best friend. He moved mechanically, cupping his hands to the side, taking a deep breath as he formed the first syllable of the Kamehameha Wave, at the same time, Trunks took his first step forward as he charged.

Tarble looked away from the pair, noticing that the horses were becoming spooked. He followed their fear-stricken gazes at the horizon past the two fighters, and gasped at what he saw." Prince Trunks!"

The glowing blue light dimmed in Goten's hands as Trunks halted in front of him, lowering his sword as he looked questionably at Tarble. Goten bit his lower lip, realising that Trunks had let himself become distracted, which left him open to an attack. _And he called me an idiot!_

Goten knew he didn't stand a chance against Trunks, yes his power had grown tremendously over the years but Trunks had a calm, calculating, viciousness that he was born with, which Goten could never have.

Unlike Trunks, Goten didn't have it in him to kill his best friend. Saiyan Clan or Hybrid- - that didn't matter to Goten; a friend was a friend no matter the race or species. Knowing he'd most likely regret it later, Goten let his glowing ki die down completely. He could never kill someone for being different, like the Saiyan Clan, and refused to stoop to their level. Growing up, he dreamed of surpassing his older, confidant, stronger friend._ Looks like Trunks wins this fight._

_" I'm proud of you, son."_ Goku's voice spoke softly in his head.

"I guess I'll be seeing you in the after life sooner than I thought." Goten whispered.

Trunks could hear the fear in Tarble's voice, but the short Saiyan Prince was shouting too quickly for him to make sense of his words. Tarble pulled on the spiky black tips of his hair, then pointed his finger to the area past Trunks.

Instead of looking behind him, Trunks' heart sank as Blaze bolted up the hill. Tarble mounted his horse and followed after Blaze. It's never a good sign when Blaze is afraid, that horse is as arrogant as Prince Vegeta himself!

The sand began to shake beneath them. From the corner of his eye he saw Goten take a hesitant step back. Gripping his sword tightly, Trunks turned around to face the new enemy that was quickly slithering through the sand. The giant, three-headed cobra stretched toward the sky, casting a dark shadow on the two Saiyans below.

* * *

**Teelee Mini Dictionary:**

Chang Pao: This is Trunks' ensemble. It used to be common wear in China. It's basically a long gown for men that goes past the knees with a round collar. I think Jackie Chan's character wore something similar to a chang pao in the movie Shanghai Knights. Mercenary Tao from Dragonball & DBz also wears a chang pao- - don't worry, i didn't know who he was until i looked it up.


	4. A snake in the Desert pg 4

The left head of the cobra dove down, ready to sink its fangs into Trunks, but retreated as Trunks' sword sliced into the black scales of its hood.

The right head let out a beastly growl, joining the middle head as they dove down at Trunks. Trunks leapt away, leaving the heads to sink their fangs into the sand where he had been. He let out a sigh, _that was close_. _If their fangs so much as make the tiniest cut in my skin, the poison will kill me within seconds._

The left head of the cobra dove at Trunks again, only this time, when Trunks leapt backward, he lost his balance in the sand and fell on his back as the cobra bit into the sand near his feet. His blood turned cold as his sword slipped from his fingers. He reached out to grab his sword when the middle head lunged down at him. Cursing, Trunks rolled further from his sword to escape the fangs of the middle head.

Frustrated, Trunks quickly jumped to his feet and began the first of dozen hand signs he needed to make in order to use his most powerful attack. He smirked, imagining himself and the entire Saiyan Clan wearing freshly made Cobra skin boots. He had three more hand signs to make in order to complete his arrangement of ki- - which was important for his signature attack, but hadn't anticipated the cobras to be faster than him. He could do nothing as all three of the cobras converged on him.

The cobras opened their jaws, revealing their slimy pink tongue and inside skin, along with twelve sharp, white fangs. _I wonder what Vegeta will think after I'm dead? He'd most likely pretend I never existed since I'm sure the entire Clan will joke for years to come about how the young Prince of Saiyans fell to an overgrown snake in the desert._ Trunks recalled the dark, shady looks Lord Brolly and Paragus always gave him over the years. _I always thought they'd be the ones to kill me._ Trunks' eyes widened, alarmed by what he was thinking. Did he really believe Lord Brolly would be the one to kill him? Apparently he did, but honestly couldn't understand why he would think that.

Trunks grunted as a body slammed into him, pushing him out from the deadly path of the cobras, saving him from a certain death.

He gasped for air- - it was hard to breathe with Goten's weight crushing into him. Goten stared down at Trunks, sharing the same surprised expression as him. Trunks opened his mouth to speak but noticed the middle head of the cobra lunging down towards them, _damn, these things just won't give up!_ Trunks pushed Goten to the side, and lifted his left foot up, kicking the cobra in the jaw before it could expose its fangs.

Goten helped Trunks to his feet, in return, Trunks pushed Goten away from the path of another striking cobra head.

"Ka. . ." Goten cupped his hands to the side. Two of the cobra heads focused on Goten and the ki growing in his palms. Trunks dashed for his sword, grabbed it, then charged at the two cobra heads diving towards Goten, nicking one in the eye and the other on the nose. They recoiled from Trunks' sword, growling fiercer then a tiger.

The middle head observed the sword in Trunks' hand but didn't lunge at him like it had done moments ago. Swiftly, the cobra lunged past Trunks, catching him by surprise.

Trunks turned, readying himself for the snake to lunge at him from behind. The snake towered above Trunks, its forked tongue slithered out of its mouth, sending tremors of disgust through out Trunks' body. Again, instead of trying to bite Trunks, the cobra lunged past him, forcing him to turn around again. . . coming full circle.

The three heads hissed proudly. Trunks' eyes widened as the long body of the middle cobra closed in on him, pinning his arms to his sides, and leaving him to cry out in pain as the cobra slowly applied more pressure, intent on crushing his bones and suffocating him like it would do to any other prey.

Two heads gathered around Trunks, combining their strength in order to crush him, which was proving to be difficult, more difficult than killing a giant mouse or horse in the desert, that's for sure.

Trunks chuckled, which sounded more like a wheezing sound," Stupid snakes. I'm a Saiyan, I wont die so easily."

The middle head lowered itself beside Trunks, letting it's tongue slither over his hair. " Yessss. I could sssssmell your sssstench a mile away."

Trunks gaped." You monsters can talk! "

The right head lowered itself on the other side of Trunks, resting its chin on the black scales of it's curled body. " We are not the monsterssss, you are. It issss your kind who refussssesssss to coexisssst with humanity, with nature. We kill to sssurvive. You do not."

The left head hovered above Trunks." We are doing Kami-sama'ssssssss will. . . dessssstroying all Sssssaiyansss isss needed in order to ressstore the balance of Earth!"

"Kami is dead," Trunks growled." He died 'trying to restore balance,' just as you will."

". . .Ha!" Goten unleashed his powerful blast at the cobras.

The cobras hissed at the glowing bright light headed for them. Neither showed fear, nor did they try to escape or loosen their hold on Trunks.

Trunks struggled to break free. . . this was not the reaction he was expecting, he'd seen many victims cower in the face of death and hoped the cobras would do the same or at least let him break free! Goten's blast was strong enough to destroy the cobras, but it was also strong enough to destroy Trunks along with them if he didn't break free soon.

The middle snake glowered down at Trunks, if he was going to die by the hand of a Saiyan, then he'd take the life of another Saiyan along with him- - or at least have the last word in!

"I will die free as the ruler of my fate. You, Sssaiyan, will die a sssslave under anothersss rule." The cobra chuckled." You are a Prince. It isssn't in your blood to follow. You were born to rule over your clan. . . a birth righ that wassss taken from you yearssss ago. If I didn't hate you, i'd almossssssssssssssssst feel sssssorry for you."

Trunks shielded his face as the cobras disintegrated into the blue blast. With his arms now free, Trunks raised his sword, letting the tip touch his forehead as Goten's blast pushed his body through the air.

The blast cleared. Goten smiled, happy to see that the cobra was gone and Trunks was still intact. He ran across the desert, relaxing slightly when he saw Trunks' chest rise and fall with every breath. _He's alive! Good, for a second I thought maybe he had died with the cobra._

Goten kneeled on one knee and reached out towards Trunks. Trunks' eyes snapped open, sensing that Goten was near. In the blink of an eye Trunks had Goten on his back, and pinned under the weight of his boot. Angered from the snake's snide comments, Trunks' blood lust was in overdrive, without hesitance Trunks raised his sword like an axe and swooped it down against Goten's neck.

Goten didn't blink or cringe as the cold blade pressed against the skin of his neck. He waited for the blade to dig further, to break through the skin and out through the other side, but Trunks didn't apply more pressure. He stared cooly down at Goten. He'd thought Goten had intended to kill him with the cobras in the blast, but judging by his expression. . . Goten had no ill will against him at all. Strangely, the Hybrid was glad Trunks had survived.

"Why did you save me?" Trunks asked. Goten had risked his life to save him from the cobra when he should've let him perish. " I thought I told you not to help your enemies."

Trunks felt Goten's chest rise before he spoke." I didn't help my enemy, I helped my friend."

Trunks stared down at Goten for a while before sheathing his sword. He removed his boot from his chest and extended his hand, " Just this once, I'll let you go. . . only because you saved my life, nothing more, do you understand Goten? The next time we meet i'll have to kill you."

Goten clasped his hand with Trunks' as he pulled him to his feet.

Blaze neighed from atop of the hill, with Coal and Tarble's silhouettes standing nearby. Trunks sighed, turning away from Goten to run towards his cowardly horse- - Blaze doesn't like average small snakes on the best of days, and he wasn't going to take the chance to trot into territory still thick with the cobra's scent.

"Prince Trunks you slayed the cobra! I'm so proud of you!" Tarble praised.

Trunks held onto the horn of the saddle as he mounted his horse." I didn't slay the cobra. Go. . . the Hybrid, slayed it." Trunks glanced back at Goten, whom was staring after Trunks and hadn't moved an inch.

Goten raised his hand and waved.

Trunks smiled, pulling on the reigns of his horse. Blaze stood on his hind legs, kicked out his front legs and let out a loud neigh, which is what his master wanted of him. _Take care Goten. I hope we never meet again._ "Yah!"

Goten stood unmoving as he watched Trunks' form disappear into a black dot. He smiled widely, Trunks wasn't a heartless assassin like the others of the Saiyan Clan, he was still his friend. After retrieving the gourd he had dropped, Goten set off on foot in the opposite direction, back to his clan.

Tarble handed Trunks the white turban Goten had thrown during the chase." Here, wrap this around your head, most of the black dye has come off. By the way, we'll just tell everyone you slayed the cobra and we never saw that Hybrid- - it was just a Slave we were chasing that got himself eaten."

Trunks nodded. If any in the clan knew he let a Hybrid go with his life, Trunks would be killed by Lord Brolly himself.

Tarble smiled widely," Vegeta-niisan's pod is scheduled to land at midnight."

"It's been six months since I've seen Vegeta." Trunks commented. " I wonder if he'll be proud of me."

"Of course! Niisan couldn't stand you when you were a kid, but tomorrow will be your first day as a man!" Tarble massaged his chin thoughtfully." Maybe you should start calling him Niisan like me, he is our honorable big brother after all, maybe that's why he gives you dirty looks."

Trunks sighed, commanding Blaze to run ahead of Tarble's horse." Vegeta doesn't like it when I call him Niisan, Niichan, Aniki, Big Brother or Sir!"

Tarble stared sadly at Trunks' back through the rest of the ride, knowing the reason behind Vegeta's forced resentment towards the boy, a reason he promised never to tell. If anyone discovered the truth about Trunks, he'd be killed. God help them all if someone were to kill Trunks, for if that were to happen, everyone would suffer Vegeta's wrath. Vegeta vowed a long time ago to protect Trunks' life and keep him safe. _Vegeta's promise to** her** is one he'll keep to the very end._

* * *

**Teelee Mini Dictionary**

Niisan: Japanese for _'big brother_.'

Niichan: a cute, and familiar way to say _'big brother_.' Also a Japanese word.

Aniki: Can mean _big brother, brother_ or street slang for _bro_. Japanese_._


End file.
